Kerala Monitor Forum
Meeting place for parents, students and teachers
Vajpayee in the company of a group of students.
There are several million students doing various courses in and out of Kerala. While overseas students are spread across different continents, there are several Malayali students in other parts of the country. Students Forum is being developed into a meeting place for students of various age groups and countries to come together and share their experience and knowledge with their counterparts.If you wish to write to us or send some phtographs or writings about your student and academic activities, success stories, or anything that is of interest to others, send us a few lines at keralamonitor@keralamonitor.com
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Zakhariya Yunus, one of the Malayali medical students in St. Petersburg University, the fifth largest university in the world.
NEW STUDY TO OUTLINE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOLS
- London: A new study to analyse the opportunities for future development and financing of the National Grid for Learning (NGfL) was announced by the British Learning and Technology Minister Michael Wills . The study, which will be carried out by NM Rothschild, will look at the full range of options available for future progress, taking into account the way schools and educational institutions currently accessthe internet. It will recommend the best way forward.
Michael Wills said:"New technology in schools is changing all the time. When we started the national drive to get all our schools connected to the internet three years ago, very little had been done to prepare our schools, teachers or pupils for new technologies.
"In the last three years, we have achieved a tremendous amount. Today, 98 per cent of all secondary schools and 86 per cent of all primary schools are currently on line. That is a total of 20,200 schools connected to the internet compared to around 6,500 in 1998. Last year alone, 4,400 more primary schools went on line and this year, nine out of 10 special schools have Internet access, a third more than last year. The Prime Minister recently announced a further #1 billion investment that will step up the drive to use new technology to raise standards in schools."However, we must renew and re-invigorate the National Grid so that it moves with the times. It is critical that the NGfL provides accessible, high-quality, interactive content, and that schools have the fast Internet access that will enable them to make the best use of it. The study we have commissioned will look at the best options for securing these outcomes and at the best ways of financing them, including the best use of the private sector."
The feasibility study will report in January 2001.The NGfL (www.ngfl.gov.uk) is a UK educational portal made up of a variety of websites catering for the whole teaching and learning community. It offers a safe resource and free service for teachers and learners.The term 'NGfL' is also used to mean a programme for developing the means to access that content in schools, libraries, colleges, universities, homes and elsewhere.Statistics on schools connected to the Internet taken from Statistics of Education 07/00 - Survey of Information and Communications Technology in Schools 2000, October 2000. The #1 billion programme for the next three years includes #245min 2001-02, plus #710 million new funding to be invested through the Standards Fund 2002-2004 and #155m 2002- 2004 for centrally funded projects.
RADICAL ACTION TO BACK QUALITY STANDARDS OF UK HEADTEACHERS
Education and Employment Secretary David Blunkett today promised headteachers in Hackney that he would take further radical action to support their work in raising standards following the publication of OFSTED's re-inspection report on the local education authority.Mr Blunkett said that Ministers were considering options including further outsourcing of services to schools and a stronger role for local headteachers in determining the provision of services to ensure that they did not get trapped in the uncertainty, which is affecting the central services of the Council.
Mr. Blunkett said:
"I welcome the recognition in the report that the steps the Government took in the light of the previous report have led to some progress. Ofsted is right to note that the action we took last year has meant that the Nord Anglia contract is 'largely protected from the uncertainties of the council's financial arrangements'.
"Hackney was the first education authority in England to face outsourcing of those services identified in previous Ofsted reports as failing and while it has taken some time to get things on the right track, Ofsted notes that 'the conditions are now set for improvement'.
"However, the good work
achieved by the education department and Nord
Anglia is being threatened by the wider problems facing the council.
It is therefore right that we should consider what further radical
steps are needed."These could include further outsourcing
and additional practical steps to enable heads to get the services
they need.
"It is worth recognising that teachers' hard work together with the support of heads in Hackney have seen real improvements in results this year, with Key Stage 2 English results improving by 8 per cent, double the national average, and mathematics improving by 5 per cent (against a national average of 3 per cent improvement). GCSE/GNVQ results have improved at 3 times the national average for 5+ A*-C grades (a 4.4 per cent improvement against the national average of 1.4 per cent) one of the best improvements in London."The support, which they have had from the Government's Literacy and Numeracy strategies and Excellence in Cities and Education Action Zone programmes, have clearly borne fruit here as elsewhere, despite the council's problems.
" Headteachers in Hackney need an anchor at this time. So we will be discussing as a matter of urgency with the Council and Hackney schools two potential radical strategies to give long-term stability to the rest of the service. We want to give headteachers and other stakeholders greater influence. So we are considering:- Measures to give schools further opportunities to purchase ' perhaps as groups of schools ' services they need from other providers and to give heads greater involvement in key decisions about the overall direction of the service
- Involving other private or public sector bodies in providing further services, in line with proposals in our recent policy paper on the role of the modern local education authority"I welcome the constructive approach which Hackney's political leadership have indicated they will adopt towards these proposals.
" It is clear that the corporate problems the council faces have taken their toll on the education service ' Hilary Armstrong is todayb announcing further measures to tackle the shortcomings identified in the Audit Commission Report on the corporate governance of Hackney which was published on 6 November.
"Radical options will be
pursued in relation to benefit and council tax administration,
refuse collection and street cleaning and financial support corporately
and to frontline services. The Government will aim to stabilise
key support services as well as explore new partnership options
with the private and voluntary
sectors.
"We have helped the LEA to find an interim chief education officer and they have appointed a new CEO, Alan Wood, who will start work in the New Year. The first priority will be to fill key gaps in personnel and secure the service to schools, pupils and parents. We welcome the Council's willingness to work with us to develop long-term solutions to the problems they face."Hackney schools and heads deserve better than drift and uncertainty. We will work with them to ensure that they get the support services they need and want."
Special Report by the Editor, Keralamonitor.com
Watch this space for more reports on Neo Nazis and millions of Indians scattered all over the world. We believe that the Indian community, the largest expatriate population in various countries, will be the main target of Neo Nazi attacks.
The Indian diaspora is causing same headache which was caused by the Jews of early 1990s. The anger against Jews was caused by their economic domination in various fields. In the 21st century, Indians are doing the same thing which the Jews of the 19th and early 20th Century did.
Even a highly reputed person like the US President Bill Clinton has made this growing anti Indian feeling clear when he said in one of his recent speeches that "Indians control 700 odd High Tech companies in Silicon Valley." The situation is said to be worse in Germany, the homeland of Nazism--where Indians face discrimination in every field. It is evident in Fuji where the peopleof Indian origin are facing strong opposition from the domestic ethnic groups. It is evident in the Middle East where Indians are hated by the domestic ethnic groups. We believe that the Neo Nazi movement is a reflection of the deteriorating economic condition in some of the Western countries where the youth believe that uneployment is caused by the presence of Asians and Africans. And the direct fallout of this negative thinking will be on the Indian community.
Indians live in fear due to Neo Nazi hate campaign in Russia
Hate Campaign intense in February, March period.
Hundreds of Indians in Russia are facing severe threat from the mushrooming Neo Nazi groups who hate foreigners of all hue and colour. Some Indians are known to have faced attacks from the criminal groups, who advocate Aryanness and White superiority theory of Adolf Hitler. The Nazi threat is more in St. Petersburg and Moscow, two places where Indians especially the students are concentrated. "Some attacks took place a few years back. Now the situation has improved a lot," says one Indian. However, it is believed that the potential fall out of the Nazi threat will be disastrous for the Indian community.
A major problem confronting the Malayali and Indian students in Russia is the trouble from Neo Nazi groups. "Our main problem is "Motta Shalyam" , says, an Indian student who has witnessed such cases . "Many people, especially the Neo Nazis don't like foreigners here. They will beat us when we are going alone," says the student, who prefer to remain anonymous for obvious reasons. Last year two Malayali student were beaten up by Nazis. "Last year one of my friend Niaz , was attacked. When he was going through metro a group of mottattalayanmar beat him without any reason," he added. Similarly, a medical student from Chennai was attacked in the same fashion. The attack on foreigners is normally high during March, when the Neo Nazis have their special hate campaign and programmes.
Hail Hitler? The vaccuum created by communism is taken over by the vandalism of fascist groups? There are large number of Indians in Russia. According to estimates there are hundreds of Malayali students who are doing medicine, engineering and other technical courses in Russian Universities. There are large number of Indian students in Moscow. Accoridng to informed sources, totally about 500 Indian students are studying in Russian Universities. Many students go to Russia due to tough competition to enter the Indian Universities. According to experts estimate that there are about 50 neo-Nazi and ultranationalist groups active in Russia. This is in addition to the presence of other crime syndicates.
Currently, the Indian medical students are doing a six year course for medicine, involving a total fees of Rs. 15 lakhs. While there are several agents who arrange admission to Indian students in Russian Universities, students can go directly without an intermediary.
However, the Indian girls are not attacked by these groups. Far-right nationalists and neo-Nazi extremists have recently become more visible in Russia, especially in some provincial centers, causing trouble to Indians and other foreigners. Large number of Indian students who are in Russia doing medicine, engineering and other higher studies are scared to go out alone. In order to avoid trouble from the neo-nazis, Indian students don't venture out alone during odd hours. A They will start a xenophobic campaign starting February till March. "Mottakal (Neo-Nazis with clean shaven head), is a term coined by the Malayali students in Russia to describe the neo Nazis. "They just beat and attack Indian students without any provocation. Their agenda is to create xenophobia among the cadres."
"Neo Nazis become active from February onwards and it will reach its peak during March, in which period is the birth day of Adolph Hitler,who caused a havoc during the Interwar period.According to recent reports from Russian media, almost half of all fascist sympathizers in Russia are 35 or younger and live in large cities. These were among the findings of the first-ever poll tracking attitudes toward neo-Nazis in Russia, which was conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation, a leading Moscow-based polling firm. Even though some 58 percent of Russians have a negative attitude toward neo-Nazi groups, 6 percent of respondents have a positive attitude toward such groups, according to the poll. This six per cent minority, which is growing day by day due to worsening economic situation and unemployment is the main cause of trouble for the Indian community and other foreigners. The survey also revealed that thirty-six percent of respondents had no definite attitude toward neo-Nazi organizations, indicating that a part of it will join the rank of Nazis.
"Should the situation in the country change, these people's attitude toward fascists might change from indifference to sympathy," the media report said quoting Alla Gerber, former member of the Russian Parliament. Among the other findings in the survey: *15 percent of respondents encountered neo-Nazis in their daily lives; *10 percent saw neo-Nazi symbols displayed in public places; and *5 percent saw or read neo-Nazi periodical publications groups. The foundation interviewed 1,500 Russian adults at the end of October. "We are scared to report such cases to the University authorities as there is strong support for the Neo Nazis within the Universities. While there is no active student politics in campuses, there is a tacit support for the vandalism unleashed by the neo Nazis. The Indian embassy is doing some help to the Indian students, but that is not enough. The media have come out with some reports about the Neo Nazi attacks in Russia.
Anti Indian feeling is becoming strong in other
East European countries also. Xenophobia is expressed violently in East Germany. Recently in a case of anti-foreigner violence, a German court sentenced four neo-Nazi youths for assaulting two African asylum seekers and chasing them through the city. The sentences came seven weeks after the July 29 attack on the men from Togo and Sudan. The defendants admitted during trial that they were motivated by hate of foreigners. Sometimes the xenophobic views is expressed in violent form. Neo-Nazis groups of around 20 youth in bomber jackets and jackboots attack foreigners, especially from Africa and Asia by spitting beer into their face. shouting racist insults. Nearly 100 foreigners have been killed in racist violence in Germany in the 10 years since unification. Much of the violence is concentrated in the depressed former communist east. The death of a Mozambican man at the hands of three skinheads this summer prompted a wave of soul-searching about persistent racism in Germany some 60 years after the Holocaust.It is hightime that the Indian authorities look into the matter and give proper protection to the life of Indians, especially students who are the future backbone of India.Malayali Medical Students in Russia Celebrate New Year, Eid Festival
Hundreds of Indian students go to Russia for medical studies as the number of seats available in various Indian universities is much less than the actual requirement. Indian students spend about Rs. 15 lakhs to complete MBBS course from Russian Universities. "Out of the 25000 students writting entrance exam in Kerala only 500 to 600 qualify (this is for MBBS only not the allied)--out of this only 200 seats come in the open merit category. Due to the extreme lack of seats, say is that rest of the lot try to get seats some were else. Considering Karnataka for example a seat in a good college cost arround 30 -35 lakhs (to be paid in
one bulk)," says one of the medical students. Some of the Universities in Russia are of top quality. IP Pavlov State
medical St petersburg " stands among the first five best ones in Europe. St.Petersburg Mallu Association.
The Indian students come together on happy occasions like Onam, Christmas, Eid etc. Recently they have celebrated Eid and New Year.
Thaha and Dilshad' during the New Year party organised by the Indian Students in St. Petersburg, Russia.
To an average or above average Malayali students, getting admission to medical colleges is like a mirage. They cannot get through the competitive examinations as students with more marks and talents get in. while most of the Indian students in Russia stay in hostel rooms, some of them take rooms outside. The first year is very tough for them as they have to pick up the Russian language, which is the medium of instruction for medicine course.Other Students during the New Year party.
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